About MBT Shoes - from Senior Lecturer Mrs. Gita Ramdharry in London

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Note: This article is reprinted with the permission of CMT UK. It appeared in

" Ask the Expert " section of the Spring 2010 newsletter.

Expert: Mrs. Gita Ramdharry, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at St. 's

Hospital in London.

The MBT shoes basically have a rocker sole which also changes how the foot

strikes the floor and how the body weight transfers over the foot. I have a few

concerns for the use of these shoes for CMT.

Firstly, balance can be a particular problem for some people with CMT. The MBT

shoe reduces the area under the foot that is in contact with the ground so

furthering challenging balance. That is fine when all of the muscles in the foot

and ankle are working well to respond to the destabilitation but where there is

alot of weakness I'd be worried about people's balance being compromised even

further.

Secondly, there is some evidence that the MBT shoe increases the demand on the

muscles at the front of the shin to prevent people front falling backwards. What

may also happen is that people will compensate to stop this from happening which

may put a strain on other areas.

Thirdly, I have spoken to a couple of colleagues who have seen people who have

worn MBT shoes. Although they swear by them, my colleagues felt their walking

pattern was worse. I would like to see some research on the effect of MBT shoes

on the walking patterns and efficiency in a larger group of people before I'm

convinced whether or not they can be recommended.